[Gunshot wounds of low urinary tract in period of security crisis at the Sominé Dolo Hospital of Mopti (Mali): Epidemiological and diagnostic aspects]. / Blessures par arme à feu du bas appareil urinaire en période de crise sécuritaire à l'hôpital Sominé Dolo de Mopti (Mali) : aspects épidémiologiques et diagnostiques.

INTRODUCTION: Firearm injuries to the lower urinary tract are injuries resulting from an energy transfer from a projectile fired by a firearm or a blast from a firearm, to the bladder, prostate, urethra and terminal ureter. Our objective was to describe the epidemiological and diagnostic aspects in the context of a security crisis. PATIENTS AND METHOD: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of lower urinary tract firearm injuries at Sominé Dolo Hospital in Mopti from January 2017 to December 2021. RESULTS: In five years, 29 traumas of the lower urinary tract have been collected, about 6 cases per year. The mean age of patients was 27.48 years, the sex ratio was 13.5/1. The main circumstances of occurrence were intercommunal violence 51.72 %, war wounds 31.03 %. Injuries were inflicted by rifles in 62.1 % and improvised explosive devices in 37.9 %. The main modes of discovery were acute urine retention, hematuria and penoscrotal wounds respectively in 31.03 %, 20.69 %, 17.24 %. The organs affected were the urethra in 58.62 %, the bladder, 37.93 %, the prostate 3.45 %. Associated non-urological lesions present in 68.96 % (n=20) were dominated by intestinal lesions and pelvic fractures. CONCLUSION: Firearm injuries to the lower urinary tract are rare despite the context of the security crisis. They affect young men, are mostly linked to intercommunal violence, and are dominated by urethral and bladder injuries.

Coupling of photocatalysis and catalysis using an optical fiber textile for room temperature depollution.

Herein, we investigate the interplay between a photocatalyst (TiO2) and a catalyst (Pt/TiO2 and Pt/CeO2) for the oxidation of formaldehyde and toluene at room temperature. A luminous textile is used as support and as light source for the photocatalyst. Our results indicate that the presence of the catalyst and the photocatalyst increases the catalytic performance for the oxidation of formaldehyde, while the photocatalytic performance for toluene oxidation decreases. The overall performance (toluene and formaldehyde degradation) of the system can be optimized with respect to the choice of support for the catalyst (e.g. TiO2 or CeO2), the quantity of Pt used, and the ratio between the catalyst and photocatalyst. In addition, different configurations of the photocatalyst and the catalyst on the textile are studied: under leaching and flow-through gas streams, catalyst and photocatalyst deposition on the same and opposite site of the textile are tested. The performance of the system can be optimized by adapting a configuration where the gas stream goes through the textile, while the deposition side of the catalyst and/or photocatalyst with respect to the gas stream is of minor importance.

In situ insight into the unconventional ruthenium catalyzed growth of carbon nanostructures.

We report on the in situ analysis of the growth process of carbon nanostructures catalyzed by Ru nanoparticles using syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and CO, as the carbon source at a medium temperature (500 °C). The structural modifications of the dual nanotube/nanoparticle system and the general dynamics of the involved processes have been directly followed during the growth, in real time and at the atomic scale, by transmission electron microscopy in an environmental gas cell at atmospheric pressure. After a reduction step under hydrogen and syngas, the particles became very active for the carbon growth. The growth rate is independent of the particle size which mainly influences the nanotube wall thickness. Other subtle information on the general behavior of the system has been obtained, as for instance the fact that the regular changes in the direction of the particle originate generally from the particle shape fluctuation. The main result is the evidence of a new growth mode in relation to the presence and the high instability of the ruthenium carbide phase which acts as a carbon reservoir. For the first time, a relaxation oscillation of the growth rate has been observed and correlated with the metal-carbide structural transition at the particle sub-surface.

Reactivity and structural evolution of urchin-like Co nanostructures under controlled environments.

In situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of samples in a controlled gas environment allows for the real time study of the dynamical changes in nanomaterials at high temperatures and pressures up to the ambient pressure (105 Pa) with a spatial resolution close to the atomic scale. In the field of catalysis, the implementation and quantitative use of in situ procedures are fundamental for a better understanding of the behaviour of catalysts in their environments and operating conditions. By using a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based atmospheric gas cell, we have studied the thermal stability and the reactivity of crystalline cobalt nanostructures with initial 'urchin-like' morphologies sustained by native surface ligands that result from their synthesis reaction. We have evidenced various behaviors of the Co nanostructures that depend on the environment used during the observations. At high temperature under vacuum or in an inert atmosphere, the migration of Co atoms towards the core of the particles is activated and leads to the formation of carbon nanostructures using as a template the initial multipods morphology. In the case of reactive environments, for example, pure oxygen, our investigation allowed to directly monitor the voids formation through the Kirkendall effect. Once the nanostructures were oxidised, it was possible to reduce them back to the metallic phase using a dihydrogen flux. Under a pure hydrogen atmosphere, the sintering of the whole structure occurred, which illustrates the high reactivity of such structures as well as the fundamental role of the present ligands as morphology stabilisers. The last type of environmental study under pure CO and syngas (i.e. a mixture of H2 :CO = 2:1) revealed the metal particles carburisation at high temperature.

Sleep quality assessment in 35 Parkinson's disease patients in the Fann Teaching Hospital, Dakar, Senegal.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep disorders are diverse in Parkinson's disease. We aimed to assess the quality of sleep in patients with Parkinson's disease in an African population. METHODS: In a transversal and prospective study from April to June 2014, all parkinsonian patients followed at the Fann Teaching Hospital Neurology Clinic (Dakar, Senegal) were assessed using the Hoehn and Yahr's scale and filled out the following questionnaires: Parkinson's disease sleep scale (PDSS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). A PDSS score<82 (or a subscore<5) and a PSQI score>5 indicated poor quality or impaired sleep. An ESS score>10 indicated excessive daytime sleepiness. We used the Pearson coefficient to search for correlation between age, disease stage, disease duration, and the importance of sleep impairment. RESULTS: Hoehn and Yahr staging was 2.42±0.90 in the 35 patients (60% male, mean age 65.7±7.4years, disease duration 32.4±23.4months). The mean total PDSS score was 99.5±24.1 and 74.3% of the patients had an abnormally high PSQI score, indicating high frequency and intensity of sleep disorders. Most frequent disorders were pain or cramps interrupting sleep, night waking to urinate and fatigue or sleepiness on waking. Patients exhibited excessive diurnal sleepiness in 22.9% of the cases; they often had an abnormal PSQI score. Both the total PDSS score and the difficulty to sleep increased with disease stage, but not with age or disease duration. CONCLUSION: We found evidence of major alteration of sleep quality in Senegalese Parkinson patients.

[Cerebral miliary tuberculosis, a case study]. / Miliaire tuberculeuse cerebrale: etude d'un cas.

Cerebral miliary tuberculosis is a rare and serious disease due to the hematogenic spread of bacillus tuberculous. It occurs more often in a debility context. Stereotaxic biopsy allows to establish the final diagnosis. But, in most of the cases it is presumptive based on clinical and biological features, and the regression of symptoms under anti tuberculosis treatment, of which depends the vital prognosis. We report the case of an immunocompetent patient, smoker who presented with cerebral military.

La miliaire tuberculeuse cérébrale est une affection rare et grave due à la dissémination hématogène des bacilles tuberculeux. Elle survient le plus souvent sur un terrain de débilité. La biopsie stéréotaxique permet d'établir le diagnostic définitif. Mais dans la plus part des cas il est présomptif basé sur d'éléments d'orientation clinique et biologique et la régression des signes sous traitement anti tuberculeux, dont dépend le pronostic vital. Nous rapportons le cas d'un patient immunocompétent, tabagique ayant présenté une miliaire cérébrale.

Concentration effects of selected insecticides on brain acetylcholinesterase in the common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.).

The differential inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) by organophosphate (OP) and carbamate (C) is followed by the distinct duration of exposure effect on common carp AChE. Hence, in the present study in vivo exposure period effect and in vitro concentration-response of chlorfenvinphos, chlorpyrifos diazinon, and carbofuran were investigated on Cyprinus carpio L. AChE. Individuals of 1-year-old carp were exposed for 96 h to different concentrations of insecticides, after which AChE activity was measured in the brain. The highest concentrations of carbofuran (2.44 mg x L(-1)), chlorfenvinphos (2.9 mg x L(-1)), and diazinon (2.5 mg x L(-1)) killed all the test animals after only 4 h, although there was no statistically significant difference from the control group's brain AChE activity. The lowest concentration significantly inhibited brain AChE after 96 h. Chlorfenvinphos was the most potent inhibitor in vivo and chlorpyrifos the least active inhibitor after 96 h of exposure time. In vitro experimentation with the same pesticide indicated that several concentrations inhibited 50% of the AChE activity (I50), ranging from 4.1x10(-7) to 8.12x10(-4) M in both single inhibitory action and joint inhibitory effect. The results suggest that in biomonitoring programs carp brain AChE can be a good diagnostic tool for chronic OP nd C pollution.

Evaluation of the effect of experimental cow endometritis on bactericidal capability of phagocytizing cells isolated from the blood and uterine lumen.

Studies were undertaken to assess the bactericidal activity of phagocytes isolated from blood and the uterine lumen of clinically healthy cows after ovulation, and from cows in which endometritis was induced experimentally. Experiments were carried out on 28 clinically healthy cows of the black and white lowland breed. Animals were aged 5 years and were used between the 2nd and 8th day after spontaneous ovulation. Cows were divided into four groups. Group I comprised animals in which cell-mediated type immune reaction was induced in the left uterine horn by intrauterine challenge with tuberculin. Cows in this group were initially vaccinated with M. bovis via the intrauterine route. In group II, Arthus type immune reaction was induced by challenging immunized animals with C. fetus ssp. veneralis through intrauterine instillation. The non-specific inflammatory process was initiated in the uterus of animals in group III by one instillation of lipopolysaccharide from S. abortus equi. Animals in group IV were set as control and received a phosphate buffered saline instillation into the uterine lumen. The cells from the left uterine horn were washed out 6 h after induction. Neutrophils were isolated from blood samples collected from all animals within the same time. The bacterial activity of cells from the uterine lumen and blood was assessed with the nitro-blue tetrazolium reduction test. Results are presented as increase in optical density resulting from a constant number of phagocytizing cells (delta OD/10(6) cells). Induction of cell-mediated immune reaction or Arthus type immune reaction in the uterus significantly boosts the intracellular capability of uterine cells to kill bacteria through the oxidation system. Experimentally induced non-specific endometritis weakens the bactericidal activity of uterine phagocytes, while peripheral blood phagocytes efficiently kill the engulfed bacteria.

In vitro assessment of the influence of different leucocyte count lavaged from normal and inflamed cow uterus on the mouse embryo development.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different leucocyte count from normal and inflamed uterus in excess of PMNs on the development of mouse embryos during the morula or blastocyst stages in vitro. Results showed that cultivation of blastocysts in the presence of leucocytes washed from the uterus, after mediation of specific or nonspecific endometritis at a concentration of 1 x 10(4), led to significant inhibition of embryo development. No similar observations were made with blastocysts cultivated in the presence of leucocytes obtained from the normal uterus at 2-4 days after spontaneous ovulation.

[Domestic and occupational pneumo-allergens among workers with tropical wood in Abidjan (Ivory Coast)]. / Pneumallergènes domestiques et professionnels des travailleurs de bois tropicaux à Abidjan (Côte-d'Ivoire).

The authors realized an epidemiologic research by skin test method in a furniture factory in Abidjan (Ivory Coast). 19 wood workers underwent these tests: their professional risk to wood dust exposure was over 13 years. The results show the importance of allergenic work atmosphere and mainly the high allergic potential of five exotic woods currently used. This article proposes an approach of the specific immunological pathways through a prospective allergological enquiry conducted at furniture factory in Abidjan (Ivory Coast).